The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-21
THEY ARE NOT DISCOURAGED
Plans of the Women Suffragists for
Moving on the Next Legislature.
They viii Endea,or to Get the Right to Vote
at Municipal observation-disclosures at the
State Associations Meeting Yesterday.

did not open very auspiciously as to mum ers.
| Only score of persons massed at the morning
| session; the number quadruped in the after
noon, and moderate audience gathered IN the
| evening. The ladies in attendance were almost
| entirely Indiana workers in the suffrage cause,
| The only visitor from abroad of any prominence
was Rev. Amanda Way, of Kansas
| In the morning Mrs. Mary e. Haggart. the
| president of the association. sketched the plan
| to be pursued by it in moving on the next State
| Legislature the principal feature being the re-
striction of the suffrage of women for the time
| being to municipal elections. She claimed that
| the Constitution, even if it Inhibited womans
suffrage in State elections. did not inter-
| fere with its exercise in municipal
| affairs, and cited in support Of her
| position other States where municipal suffrage
| had been granted and sustained by the courts,
| although their constitutions apparently drew the
| line on sex even more explicitly than the Con-
! stitution of Indiana. Mrs. z. G. Wallace an
nounced that concerted effort for this first step
| towards universal suffrage was to be made in all
| the Northern States east of Kansas within the
next two years.
| In the afternoon a brief address made by
| Mrs Laura d. Sandefur. of Franklin. chiefly an
| account Of her visit to suffrage meeting at
| Boston. Mrs z. G. Wallace followed with ono
| of her usual strong arguments for the cause
| She claimed that there had never been true
/ republic on earth because there had never been
one in which one-hah of Gods image. as created,
had not been deprived of representation AS 10
the Bible INJUNCTION that wives should be sub
iect to their husbands she said that it was being
| subject to other women's husbands tnas
| they objected to. No woman, il granted the pal
| lot would abate her allegiance TO her husband;
but this thing of being governed by the millions
-loyx~ -s,0xr 1rnr
| honor and obey was hard. The talk of women
| being contaminated in the dirty pool OF politics
| was reasonable. The exercise of political rights
| by the men of America had been beneficial and
| elevating to them. The proof OF 1t could be seen
| by comparing the average American man with the
shscIfes of European despotism When Herbert
| Spencer was in America, he said that the ma
terial growth this country had 80 far SURPASSED
| the spiritual and moral that unless some new
| force injected into its government there
| certain to be retrogresson. Unless that
| force to be found In woman, 1t dld nos exist
| in humanity
In the course of her remarks Mrs. Wallace
| said that false theology had been taught IN re.
| gard TO Eve. The frat woman was not tempted
| and did not fall The truth WAS that the oppor-
| tunity Of knowing good and evil was placed be-
| fole man and he was afraid to try It. Woman:
| however, was determined to gain knowledge and
| willing to take her consequences. Hence, woman
was the pioneer in the acquisition of knowledge.
and that was the proper position now. , Wnen
| son apparently failed to fathom the depths
| of this little joke and, at the close OF Mrs
| Wallaces remarks rosa TO retute the supposed
attack on the inspiration Of the Scriptures. She
had Just about concluded a ivindication OF the
Almighty for subordinating woman to man,
when the presiding officer reminded her that she
was interrupting the progress OF the meeting,
and she closed her argument
young girl from Franklin then rected a
| German dialect poem on the sturdy oak and the
clineing vine which touched rather severely on
the sturdy oaks who wear ont the seats CT their
trousers at the base ball parks while the cling
rryix, tax
them. The afternoon session was closed with
the reading of several letters from absent sym
| pathzers There were also on hand large
| number of sympathetc letters from various
politicians which were not read.
In the evening the first address was by Hon.
w D. Foulke. He devoted his time to answer
ing the recent article of Senator ingalls, which
appeared in the Forum. His argument was
based chiefly ON the Senator'S admission that
women were entitled to exercise 1t,
and that if the right to govern were
e ernss' woman ,pum must be asked for her
| consent Mr.. Foulke argued that the Senator 9
abandonment. or qualification, of the principles
laid down in the Declaration Of Independence
was a blow at the liberties OF mankind. a prop
co the despotism OF misrepresentation govern
ments, and step toward the barbarism of the
dark ages AS to the argument that the
| right of suffrage was colncldent with
the ability to bear arms In defense
of the government. he wanted to know why de-
crepft men. disabled men, and men who would
not fight were permitted to vote, and called at
tention to the fact that Senator Ingalls, failed TO
appear on the field during the war of the rebel
Ion IF women we're not permitted 10 enter the
| uncertain limit known as mans sphere, man
ought not to be allowed to invade woman s
sphere He rdiculed the inconsistency of dis
franchisine both Mormon and gentle women
because both Mormon men and Mormon women
had used the ballot Improperly, and denounced
as untrue the Senator'S state that
suffragists had maintained ''s:lence as the 81
lence of the sepulcher' in regard to this feature
of the Edmunds bill. 1t had been repeatedly
;a3-o iv,fh nY nnCf ylyhl lie
ner by suffrage associations. Senator ingalls, s
position was that government OF all KIND was
based force, and this position was untenab!e
as to just governments, 10 matter what the
practical truth might be-
At this conclusion of his remarks it was an
nounced that Rev. Amanda Way. the president
Of the first meeting of the Indiana Womens Suf-
frage Association which was held IN Dublin,
Wayne county, thirty six years ago, was in the
audience She was requested to come to the
rostrum and complied She said that Senator
Ingalls, represented mother the men nor the
women of Kansas in his anti-suffrage sentiments.
Women there had municipal suffrage now and
had accomplished more in the temperance cause
in one election than the men had been able to
accom- pish in six years. She was ashamed OF
Mr. Ingalls,
Mrs Haegart then made very able address
but of uncomfortable length. She first paid
her compliments to Talmage. whose anti-suffrage
sermon has attracted the attention OF the sui
fragisss for some weeks past. Ii 1t was true. as
he said, that women by educating their sons
could send Votes throbbing through eternity.
why not allow them to exercise a similar priv
| ilege in time? Why not give them the ballot
and let them send two votes throbbiDg through
eternity Women growing tired oil
sssheddng influence behind the throne L
failed to protect their boys from temptations
that were licensed by ballots in the hands o.
men. Grave-yards were full OF women wht
| were martyrs shedding influence" Women
were citizens under the Constitution. or they
| were not citizens. If they are citizens, why are
| they accorded the political privileges of citi
zens7 If they not citizens, what does thu
| government mean by its infamous piracy OF
| their property2 The taxing of suffrage from
the women of Utah by the Edmunds bill was
simply placing another. pair of hand cuffs on the
| slave in order to mako the master behave him
| self.
At the close OF Mrs Haggarts address col
lection was taken for the aid of the association
| ord .ba paat;pC adi ournad